From this perspective, “the great American divorce” was ultimately the result of the failure of the five presidents before Lincoln (particularly Fillmore, Pierce, and Buchanan, but also to some extent Polk and Taylor) to function in a differentiated manner. The way in which these glad-handing, conflict-avoiding, and compromising “commanders-in-chief ” avoided taking charge of our growing internal crisis when they occupied the position “at the top” is exactly the same way I have seen today’s leaders function before their organizations (or families) “split.”
